Systems and methods for using playlists

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for automatically generating a playlist of series assets and systems and methods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters are provided. In one embodiment, series assets may automatically be included into a playlist for that series. In another embodiment, an interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters based on one or more user selected parameters or may group assets in cluster based on automatically determined parameters. In yet another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application may group assets in clusters and display at least one identifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis for forming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrase that succinctly identifies a trait or characteristic of assets in a particular cluster associated with the identifier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for using aninteractive media guidance application, and more particularly to usingthe interactive media guidance application to automatically includeseries assets in a playlist. This disclosure is also directed to systemsand methods for using an interactive media guidance application toarrange the order of assets within a playlist.

As defined herein, an asset refers to any type of media that may beplayed. Such media may include all the variants of television media,music media, interactive games, and other audio and/or video media. Eachasset may be associated with one or more identifiers that identify oneor more aspects (e.g., name, title, an actor, a director, a producer,theme, and genre) of the asset. For example, a television programmingasset for the movie “GoldenEye” may have identifiers such as “PierceBrosnan” and “action” associated with it.

Playlists may be used to determine the order in which assets (e.g.,television programs and songs) are played. With the advent of digitalvideo recorders, which may store many assets, playlists may be used tomanage the playback of recorded assets. However, in order for a user toplayback assets stored on a digital video recorder or other device(e.g., server), the user may be required to create a playlist. Creationof a playlist may require affirmative actions by the user such asmanually selecting assets for inclusion into a playlist. Users may findthis exercise to be tedious, especially for series assets such as seriesrecorded assets or series video-on-demand (VOD) assets. Accordingly,what is needed are systems and methods for automatically generatingplaylists for series assets.

Given that the number of programming choices available are vast,playlists may include a large number of assets, many of which a user maynot want to play. Thus, the user may wish to play a subset of the assets(i.e., a set of assets fewer in number than the available assets), butdoes not want to select each and every desired asset or step throughseveral steps to filter the playlist. Though filtering techniques areknown, such techniques fail to provide flexibility in allowing a user toobtain a playlist including the most desired assets the user wishes toplay. In addition, even if the playlists are filtered or rearranged,there may be no identifier indicating the basis for the filter orrearrangement of the playlist. What is needed are systems and methodsfor enabling a user to quickly and easily generate a playlist such thatthe most desired assets or only the desired assets are played back. Whatis also needed are systems and methods for identifying the basis forfiltering or rearranging of playlists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other needs are addressed by providing systems and methodsfor automatically generating a playlist of series assets and system andmethods for grouping assets of a playlist in clusters.

In one embodiment, series assets (e.g., television shows that belong toa series) may automatically be included in a playlist for that series.An advantage realized by automatically including series assets in aplaylist is that a user is not required to filter, sort, or rearrangeassets to obtain a playlist including assets for a particular series.Thus, when a user desires to playback assets for a particular series, heor she may access the playlist for that series and begin playback. Theseries asset playlist may include, for example, recorded assets (such asassets recorded on a digital video recorder), server stored assets (suchas VOD assets), or a combination thereof. As used herein, recordedassets may refer to assets recorded directly or indirectly as a resultof a user's request (e.g., such as on a digital video recorder, networkvideo recorder, or executed directly on the video recorder or networkvideo recorder via a user request made over a remote user interface,e.g., from a web server). As used herein, server stored assets refer toassets stored on a server or other database server (e.g., VOD server)that is remote from the user's point of interaction with the system.

An interactive media application may provide a series options screenthat enables a user to configure options for a particular series anddesignate a playlist (e.g., create a new playlist or select an existingplaylist) which may contain assets according to the configured options.For example, a user may configure series recording options for a series(e.g., StarTrek TNG) and designate a playlist for that series (e.g., TNGPlaylist). When episodes of the series are recorded, assetscorresponding to those episodes may be automatically included in theplaylist for that series.

In another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application mayrearrange or group assets in clusters based on one or more user selectedparameters. To group or rearrange assets in clusters, the interactivemedia application may begin with a playlist which is arranged in apredetermined order, and group various ones of the assets of theplaylist into clusters, where assets of each cluster meet certainparameters. For example, assume a playlist includes shows 1-9, withshows 1, 2, 8, and 9 featuring actor A, shows 3 and 4 featuring actor B,and shows 5-7 featuring actor C. Further assume the selected parametersare actors A and C. When the playlist is grouped in clusters, onecluster may include shows 1, 2, 8, and 9 (which correspond to actor A)and another cluster may include shows 5-7 (which correspond to actor C).Shows 3 and 4 may not be displayed because their attributes do not matchthe clustering criteria, or they may be displayed in a cluster labeled“other.” It is understood that in some embodiments, the interactivemedia guidance application may group the same asset in multipleclusters.

The interactive media application may provide a user interface includingone or more interactive parameter selection nodes which permit the userto select parameters that form the basis for clustering assets of aplaylist. An advantage of the user interface of the invention is that itenables users to easily select parameters in interactive media guideenvironments that have limited input command control (e.g., limited tousing a remote control) such as in an interactive television programguide environment. In some embodiments, the parameters are suggested bythe application, e.g., based on relevance to the content stored in theusers playlist as determined by some algorithmic analysis of, forexample, attributes of assets within the playlist. For example, aclustering parameter of “John Wayne” as actor might not be presented asan option for a playlist in which all or none of the assets includedJohn Wayne as an actor. In the first case, where “all” the assetscontained “John Wayne” the choice of that as a parameter would not serveto divide the assets into more than one cluster and thus not effectivelylead to differentiation. In the second case, where “none” of the assetscontained John Wayne, depending on the implementation (filter mode ornon-filter mode) you might end up with no assets in any clusters or anempty cluster (corresponding to the assets featuring “John Wayne” and an“Other” cluster containing all the assets. The nodes may includeparameters derived from attributes (e.g., in television programmingassets, actors, directors, producers, locations, and themes) associatedwith assets in the playlist. The user may select any one of theseattributes as a parameter for clustering assets of the playlist. Inaddition, the interactive media application may allow the user to definea hierarchal status for parameters to provide an added measure ofcontrol in clustering of assets. For example, certain parameters may begiven primary significance and other parameters may be given secondarysignificance. When assets are clustered according to both primary andsecond parameters, assets in each cluster may be affiliated with theprimary parameter, but a subset of assets in each cluster may beaffiliated with a secondary parameter.

In another embodiment, the interactive media guidance application mayrearrange or group assets in clusters and display at least oneidentifier in connection with each cluster to indicate a basis forforming the cluster. The identifier may be a key word or catch phrasethat succinctly identifies a characteristic of assets in a particularcluster associated with the identifier. For example, a playlist mayinclude three clusters, with each cluster having an identifier naming anactor who plays in each asset of that cluster. If desired, identifiersmay be displayed in multiple levels, where a “top” level identifier maybe associated with each asset of a particular cluster and where “sub”level identifiers may be associated with subgroups of assets within thatparticular cluster.

In another embodiment, the interactive media application mayautomatically select asset grouping parameters and group the assetsaccordingly. In some cases, the application may choose primary,secondary, or even greater level parameters for automatically creatingclusters based on a hierarchy of parameters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention, its nature andvarious advantages will be more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an illustrative interactive television system inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative screen shot of a playlist for a series inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a playlist transport bar according to the invention thatmay be displayed for a series playlist;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togenerate a playlist of series recorded assets in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative screen shot of a series recording optionsscreen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to includerecorded assets in a playlist automatically created based on therecorded assets in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to createa playlist of recorded assets in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togenerate a playlist of series VOD assets in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIGS. 9-11 show illustrative screen shots that may be displayed inconnection with VOD series assets and playlists in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togenerate a playlist in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to groupassets of a playlist in clusters based on one or more selected assetgrouping parameters in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 14A & 14B show illustrative screen shots of interactive parameternodes and other interactive features a user can select to group assetsof a playlist in clusters in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is another flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togroup assets in clusters based on one or more selected asset groupingparameters in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 shows a screen shot illustrating a playlist grouped in clusters,with each cluster having a identifier in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 17 shows a screen shot illustrating a playlist grouped in clusters,with each cluster having multiple identifiers in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to groupassets in clusters based on asset clustering parameters automaticallydetermined by an interactive media guidance application in accordancewith the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows illustrative interactive media system 100 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. User equipment 110 receives contentin the form of signals from media source 120 over communications path122. In practice there may be multiple media sources 120 and userequipment 110, but only one of each has been shown in FIG. 1 to avoidover-complicating the drawing.

Media source 120 may be any suitable media source such as, for example,a cable system headend, satellite media distribution facility, mediabroadcast facility, on-demand server (e.g., VOD server), game serviceprovider (e.g., for online gaming), Internet service provider (e.g., forproviding Websites), an ordered list provider (e.g., for providingplaylists), or any other suitable facility or system for originating ordistributing content. Media source 120 may be configured to transmitsignals over any suitable communications path 122 including, forexample, a satellite path, a fiber-optic path, a cable path, an Internetpath, or any other suitable wired or wireless path. The signals maycarry any suitable content such as, for example, television programs,games, music, news, and/or web services. In some embodiments, mediasource 120 may include control circuitry for executing the instructionsof an interactive media guidance application such as, for example, aclient/server or online interactive media guidance application.

Media source 120 may store series playlists according to the inventionwhich may be accessed by user equipment 110. For example, when a usersets up a series playlist for VOD assets, that playlist may bemaintained at media source 120. Maintaining the playlist at media source120 may be advantageous because media source 120 can dynamically adjustthe contents of the playlist based on whether VOD assets of that seriesare added or removed. Maintaining the playlist at media source 120 mayalso be advantageous because it may be accessed by users and familymembers at different user equipment 110.

User equipment 110 may include any equipment suitable for providing aninteractive media experience. User equipment 110 may include televisionequipment such as a television, set-top box, recording device (e.g.,digital video recorder), video player, user input device (e.g., remotecontrol, keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touch screen and voice recognitioninterface), or any other device suitable for providing an interactivemedia experience. For example, user equipment 110 may include a DCT2000, 2500, 5100, 6208 or 6412 set-top box provided by Motorola, Inc. Insome embodiments, user equipment 110 may include computer equipment,such as a personal computer with a television card (PCTV) or an OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver (OCUR) plug-in card and optionally asecurity access card suitable for secure delivery of content. In someembodiments, user equipment 110 may include a gaming system, a portableelectronic device, such as a portable DVD player, a portable gamingdevice, a cellular telephone, a PDA, a music player (e.g., MP3 player),or any other suitable portable or fixed device.

User equipment 110 may include a network (not shown) that interconnectsvarious elements of user equipment 110 of, for example, a household.Such an arrangement may permit use of a remotely located recordingdevice (e.g., digital video recorder) which may store recorded programsthat may form a basis for creating and/or maintaining series playlists.

In the example of FIG. 1, user equipment 110 includes at least controlcircuitry 118, display device 112, and user input device 114, which maybe implemented as separate devices or as a single device. An interactivemedia guidance application, such as an interactive television programguide, may be implemented on user equipment 110 to control the display,on display device 112, of the media transmitted by media source 120 overpath 122 and to provide interactive media guidance application features.

The media that may be played by user equipment 110 may vary widely. Infact, many different types of media may be played by user equipment 110.Many different types of media may be available because each media typemay be unique in a technical sense (e.g., a particular technicalimplementation is required to play a particular type of media) or isconsidered unique in a definitional sense (e.g., a video-on-demandprogram may be considered a different type of media than a broadcastprogram). The different types of media may be classified generally or toa desired degree of specificity. For example, a general classificationof media types may include a television media, a music media, and anaudio and/or video media. Within each general media type, more specificand different media types are available. Television media may include,for example, broadcast television programming, recorded televisionprogramming, video-on-demand (VOD) programming, near video-on-demand(NVOD) programming, pay-per-view programming, satellite televisionprogramming, and streaming video programming. Recorded televisionprogramming may be a recording of another type of televisionprogramming. Recorded television programs may be stored locally on userequipment 110 or remotely on networked user equipment (not shown).Recorded television programming may also be stored on a remote networkvideo recorder server (such as media source 120 or similar remoteserver). Music media may include, for example, MP3 files, WAV files,MIDI files, AAC, real media, dolby digital, or other suitable formatwith which music can be compressed, distributed and stored on userdevice 110.

Display device 112 may be any suitable device such as, for example, atelevision monitor, a computer monitor, or a display incorporated inuser equipment 110 (e.g., a cellular telephone or music player display).Display device 112 may also be configured to provide for the output ofaudio.

Control circuitry 118 is adapted to receive user inputs from inputdevice 114 and execute the instructions of the interactive mediaguidance application. Control circuitry 118 may include one or moretuners (e.g., analog or digital tuners), encoders and decoders,processors (e.g., Motorola 68000 family processors), memory (i.e., RAMand hard disks), communications circuitry (e.g., cable modem circuitry),input/output circuitry (e.g., graphics circuitry), connections to thevarious devices of user equipment 110, and any other suitable componentfor providing analog or digital media programming, program recording andplayback, and interactive media guidance features. In some embodiments,control circuitry 118 may be included as part of one of the devices ofuser equipment 110 such as, for example, part of display 112 or anyother device (e.g., a set-top box, television and video player).

User equipment 110 may include a storage device 116 such as, forexample, memory or hard-drive (e.g., digital video recorder). Only onesuch storage device is shown to avoid overcrowding the figure, though itis understood that additional storage devices may be used as desired.Storage device 116 may store data (e.g., series playlists) and media(e.g., recorded assets). In another embodiment (not shown) userequipment 110 may be able to access a storage device located at a remotesite and store data and/or media at that remote storage device. Such aremote storage device may be referred to herein as a networked storagedevice or a networked digital video recorder.

In some embodiments, the interactive media guidance application mayprovide features to the user with a client/server approach. For example,data pertaining to series playlists may be provided to the server, whichmay store the data from the client. When the client generates a seriesplaylist, it may retrieve the series playlist data from the server, oralternatively, the client may order the elements of a series playlistretrieved from the server. There may be one server for each instance ofuser equipment 110, one for multiple instances of user equipment 110, ora single server may serve as a proxy for each instance of user equipment110.

Any suitable number of users may have equipment, such as user equipment110, connected to media source 120 and data source 124. But for clarityof illustration, the equipment of only a single user is shown. Theequipment of the plurality of users may be connected to media source 120and data source 124 using a cable television network, a local areanetwork (LAN), a wireless network, or any other suitable means. In someembodiments, the equipment of the plurality of users may be connected toeach other using any suitable means.

User equipment 110 may receive interactive media guidance applicationdata from one or more data sources 124. Data sources 124 may providedata for a particular type of content or for a particular application.For example, one data source 124 may provide data for non-on-demandassets (e.g., non-pay and pay-per-view programs), and another mayprovide data for on-demand assets (e.g., VOD programs). Or, for example,a single data source may provide both of these types of data. Forexample, one data source 124 may provide data for an interactivetelevision program guide. Another data source 124 may provide data forseries playlists. Another data source 124 may, for example, provide datafor another interactive application (e.g., a home shopping application).In some embodiments, data sources 124 may provide data to theinteractive media guidance application using a client/server approach.There may be one server per data source, one for all sources or, in someembodiments, a single server may communicate as a proxy between userequipment 110 and various data sources 124. In some embodiments, datasources 124 may provide data as an online interactive media guidanceapplication. In such embodiments, data source 124 may include controlcircuitry for executing the instructions of the online media guidanceapplication.

FIG. 1 shows media source 120 and data sources 124 as separate elements.In practice, their functionality may be combined and provided from asingle system at a single facility, or multiple systems at multiplefacilities. For example, one media source 120 and data source 124 may becombined to provide VOD content and associated VOD data.

For the purposes of clarity, the following discussion may sometimesdescribe an embodiment in which the interactive media guidanceapplication is an interactive program guide. It will be understood,however, that the following discussion and the features discussed may beapplied to any interactive media guidance application.

Systems and methods for generating ordered lists of series assetsaccording to the present invention are provided. As defined herein, aseries asset may be an asset related to a particular series of assets.For example, a series may refer to a particular television show (e.g.,Star Trek) and the assets may refer to episodes of that particulartelevision show. The assets of series playlists may include episodesfrom one or more seasons of a series, a user- or application-selectionof episodes of a series, or any other desired group of episodes.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative screen shot of a playlist 200 for the StarTrek TNG series in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. Playlist 200 shows six series assets which are included inthe Star Trek TNG series. As shown, the assets are shown in the order inwhich they are to be played. It will be understood that the order inwhich assets are played may be rearranged manually or automatically. Seecommonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/324,193, filedDec. 29, 2005, for a detailed discussion of systems and methods forreordering the arrangement of assets of a playlist, the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

An advantage of playlists is that they provide substantial viewingflexibility and information for the user. Viewing flexibility may berealized in that a user may stop playback of a given asset or playlistand return to the exact same place in the asset or playlist forcontinued playback. In addition, the order of the assets may berearranged. Various information may be provided to the user inconnection with playlists. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the asset(e.g., Descent, Part 1) currently being played back may be highlighted.If desired, the user may select an asset by navigating a highlightregion and enter a command to view information (e.g., program summary)of the asset.

FIG. 3 shows a playlist transport bar 300 according to the inventionthat may be displayed for a series playlist. Playlist transport bar 300may show information relating to the playlist in a graphically orientedcontext. For example, each cell 310 may correspond to an asset in aplaylist, and may be sized to reflect the playback time of a particularasset. An information region 320 may be positioned to indicate thecurrent playback position with the playlist and an asset within theplaylist. As shown in FIG. 3, the information region includes a pauseindicator to reflect that playback has been paused at the 3:15 positionof the playlist. When playlist transport bar 300 is displayed, the nameof the currently played back asset (e.g., “Race for Life”) may bedisplayed, as well as the name of the series playlist (e.g., “USER1'sKnight Rider Playlist”), as shown. It is understood that many variationson the playlist transport bar may be practiced without limitation withrespect to the series playlists of the present invention, including,without limitation, vertically oriented playlists. Additionalinformation on playlist transport bars such as that shown in FIG. 3 maybe found in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/366,863, filed Mar. 2, 2006, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The series asset, which is retrieved for playback, may be stored in anynumber of different ways. Assets may be recorded locally, for example,on a digital video recorder or remotely, for example, on a networkeddigital video recorder. Assets may be stored on a server such as a VODserver, near video-on-demand server, real-time media server (such asthose used in a World Wide Web or Internet context), or any othersuitable type of server. The interactive program guide may generateseries playlists specific to a particular type of stored asset (e.g.,locally stored asset, remotely stored asset, or server stored asset),one or more selected stored assets, or all types of stored assets. Forexample, a series playlist can include assets recorded on a digitalvideo recorder, recorded on a networked digital video recorder, storedon a server, or a combination thereof.

The series playlists according to the invention may be dynamic in thatassets may be added, removed, and rearranged to provide a differentplayback order of the assets. Assets may be added manually by the useror may be added automatically. When manually added, the user may, forexample, access a menu (by pressing the appropriate button or sequenceof buttons on an input device) in connection with the series asset andcause the asset to be included in a playlist for that series. Assets maybe automatically added in a number of different scenarios. For example,when a series asset is recorded (e.g., locally or remotely), it may beautomatically included into the playlist for that series, and if aplaylist for that series does not exist, the program guide may generatea playlist (with or without user approval) and include the asset in thenewly created playlist. As another example, when a server stored seriesasset (such as a VOD asset) is made available, it may be automaticallyadded to the playlist for that series.

Placement of the added assets in the playlist (e.g., beginning or end)may be based on a number of criteria. For example, if the playlist isarranged in an air date order, and the added asset aired at a time thatwould place the asset in the middle of the playlist, then the asset maybe placed in the middle of the playlist. It will be understood that theprogram guide may place added assets in the appropriate logical orderfor a given playlist.

Series assets may be removed manually by the user or automatically. Whenremoved manually, the user may, for example, access a menu and causethat asset to be deleted. The user may cause a stored asset (e.g., VODserver asset) to be removed from a playlist even though the series assetis still available for viewing on the server. Automatic removal ofassets may occur in any number of different scenarios. For example,locally or remotely recorded assets may be removed after a predeterminedtime or after the user watches the asset. In addition, if a user deletesthe recorded asset from the digital video recorder (whether local orremote), it too may be deleted from the playlist. For playlists having afixed number of assets, an asset may be removed to make room for a newlyadded asset. When an asset stored on a server (e.g., VOD server) isremoved, it may be automatically removed from a playlist including thatasset. In some embodiments, a user may be notified when one or moreassets are removed from a playlist, particularly if the asset wasmanually added by the user to the playlist as opposed to having beenadded automatically. Similarly notifications of additions may beprovided when new elements are added to a playlist automatically. Suchnotifications may be done, or example, by a dialog and/or by some typeof highlighting (e.g., grey title for removed assets, bold or colordifferentiated title for added assets).

A series playlist according to the invention may be provided orgenerated in a number of different ways. In one approach, a user mayselect an asset of a series or a series in a menu (e.g., a VOD menu ofgrid showing channels and time) and be provided with an option to createa playlist for the series. Thereafter, new assets that are recorded orbecome available on a server (e.g., VOD server) pertaining to thatseries may be added to that playlist. Additionally, already existingrecorded assets or assets available on a server (e.g., VOD server) maybe included in the playlist for that series. The program guide maycontinually update the playlist to reflect changes in the availabilityof assets (e.g., a recorded asset is deleted or added or is no longeravailable on or added to a server) or if a user adds, removes, orrearranges assets in a playlist.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togenerate a playlist of series recorded assets in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention. Reference is made to FIG. 5 duringthe discussion of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows an illustrative series recordingoptions screen 500 in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

At step 410, a user is allowed to configure series recording options.Here, the user may be permitted to set one or more series recordingparameters for a particular series (which may have been previouslyselected). Screen 500 shows several parameters which may be selected todictate how the interactive program guide records assets. Four differentparameters are shown: “episode type” 510, “channels to record” 512,“keep until” 514, “keep no more than” 516, and “Add recording toplaylist” 520. The user may toggle through options for each parameter bypressing left or right arrows on a user input device (e.g., remotecontrol) or navigating a highlight region to the left or right arrows asshown and pressing a predetermined button on the user input device(e.g., the “OK” button). It is understood that default settings (e.g.,factory or user-defined) may be set for each parameter when a userinitially accesses screen 500 for a selected series. It is furtherunderstood that the present invention is not limited to the parametersshown or discussed herein, and that additional parameters may be added,or that existing parameters may be omitted.

The “episode type” 510 parameter allows the user to record one or moredifferent classifications of assets. For example, first-run only assets(e.g., new, previously unavailable assets), first-run and repeat assets,or all assets and duplicates thereof of a selected series may beselected as an episode type parameter.

The “channels to record” parameter 512 may allow a user to define one ormore channels on which the assets of the selected series are to berecorded. For example, a user may select a “this channel only” option oran “all channels” option. As another example, the user may manuallyselect channels by entering channel numbers or by navigating through alisting of channels and selecting the desired channels.

The “keep until” parameter 514 may allow a user to define how long arecorded series asset is stored on a digital video recorder. A keepuntil parameter option may include, for example, “space is needed”option, which may store a recorded asset until the storage space inwhich the recorded asset resides is needed. Another option may includean “I delete” option which may permanently store the recorded assetuntil the user affirmatively deletes it. Yet another option may includea “time expired” option which may delete a recorded asset after apredetermined period of time. Yet another option may include a “FIFO”option (first-in, first-out) of length N assets, where N is an integerrepresenting the total number of assets that may be recorded for theseries. In this option, the program guide may store N assets. When theN+1 asset is recorded, the first asset is removed from the playlist tomake room for the N+1 asset. When the N+2 asset is recorded, the secondasset is removed, and so on. The depth of such a FIFO may be determinedby N, the number of total assets to store, by a memory size limit (e.g.,50 MB), or by a duration limit (e.g., 5 hours).

The “keep no more than” parameter 516 allows the user to define thenumber of assets for a selected series that may be stored. The user mayselect, for example, an “all episodes” option which may result in therecording of all assets for the selected series. Another option may be a“designated number” option which enables a user to select the number ofassets to be recorded for a selected series.

Referring back to FIG. 4, at step 420, a playlist may be designated. Inthe “add recording to playlist” parameter 520, the user may select a“create new playlist” option or “select an existing playlist” option.Selection of the “create new playlist” option may provide an overlay orscreen that permits a user to enter a playlist name, or select fromprovided options. Selection of the “select an existing playlist” optionmay provide an overlay or screen including a list of existing playlistsfrom which the user can select a desired playlist. In some embodiments anew playlist may be created and named automatically based on the name ofthe series.

At step 430, assets recorded according to the configured seriesrecording options are included in the designated playlist. Thus, anadvantage of this playlist is that when a user wishes to playback acertain set of assets (such as assets for a certain series), the usercan select the playlist for that series and begin playback. In addition,such playlists provide an added level of convenience in that the user isnot required to create a series playlist from a relatively large list ofassets (e.g., recorded assets). That is, according to the presentinvention, when a user configures recording options for a series,recorded assets pertaining to that series are automatically includedinto a playlist for that series.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps shown in FIG.4 are merely illustrative and that additional steps may be added. Forexample, a step illustrating how a user enters a series recordingoptions screen may be provided. A user may enter a series recordingoptions screen using any number of suitable approaches. In one approach,a user may be viewing an asset which happens to be part of a series.While viewing the asset, the user may press a predetermined button(e.g., a recording button) on an input device to access a seriesrecording options screen such as screen 500 of FIG. 5. In anotherapproach, the user may access the series recording options screen byinteracting with a cell (e.g., selecting a cell containing an asset ofseries) in a screen guide (e.g., a grid guide) of assets.

An example of how a user may create a series recording asset playlist isnow discussed. Assume that a user wishes to set a series recording forthe television program “24” on Fox. The user may, for example, initiatea series recording by selecting an asset of “24” and entering a commandto cause a series recording options screen (such as screen 300) to bedisplayed. When the recording options screen is displayed, the user mayconfigure recording options by selecting parameters, as discussed above.Assume the user selects parameters that instruct the interactive programguide to record new episodes on Fox. The user may further select aparameter that causes recordings to be added to a new or existingplaylist. Assume the user creates a new playlist labeled “24 Playlist.”When the user confirms the configured options for the series recording,the interactive program guide may then group subsequent recordings ofthe new episodes of “24” in the “24 Playlist.” The user may access the“24 Playlist” to playback episodes of “24” when desired.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to includerecorded assets in a playlist automatically created based on therecorded assets in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. The flowchart in FIG. 6 refers to an embodiment where theinteractive program guide automatically generates playlists for eachseries when a predetermined number of assets (e.g., at least two assets)belonging to a particular series have been recorded. In addition, thisembodiment may not require affirmative actions (e.g., designating aplaylist in a series recording options menu) in order to have seriesrecorded assets included in a playlist. If desired, the user may bepermitted to set a threshold of a number of assets of a particularseries that have to be recorded to cause the interactive program guideto create a playlist for that series. For example, the user may set thethreshold to be three, requiring that at least three assets of theseries be recorded before a playlist is created for that series.

Beginning at step 610, several assets are recorded. The recorded assetsmay include assets that belong or do not belong to a series. At step620, a determination of which series, if any, correspond to the recordedassets is performed. At step 630, a playlist for each determined seriesmay be automatically created. If desired, a playlist for a given seriesmay not be created unless it is determined that at least a predeterminednumber of assets belonging to that series have been recorded or arepresently stored on the digital storage device. When the playlist iscreated, the interactive program guide may assign a logical name foreach created playlist (e.g., by processing metadata or other dataassociated with the recorded assets). For example, if episodes of Lostare recorded, the program guide may assign the name Lost to the playlistcreated for Lost.

At step 640, recorded assets belonging to a particular series may beincluded in a playlist for that series. When the user accesses a list ofplaylists, the user may have the option to select one of theautomatically generated playlists for playback of the assets includedtherein.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps in FIG. 6 aremerely illustrative, and that additional steps may be added and existingsteps may be modified. For example, step 630 may be modified toautomatically create a playlist for a series only if at least apredetermined number of assets have belonging to that series have beenrecorded.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to createa playlist of recorded assets in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention. The embodiment described in connection with FIG. 7refers to a playlist created for a subset of assets recorded from aparticular channel and which has its assets arranged in a particularorder. Beginning at step 710, a subset of assets available on aparticular channel are recorded. The subset may include assets recordedaccording to any suitable number of criteria. For example, the subsetmay include assets recorded during a predetermined period of time (e.g.,from eleven o'clock to two o'clock) on a given channel. The subset mayinclude assets recorded on the channel that match a predetermined themeor themes (e.g., comedy or action). The subset may include an ongoingrecording of a program on a particular channel that occurs at the sametime every day or week.

At step 720, a playlist is automatically created to include the subsetof assets recorded from the particular channel. The maximum number ofassets recorded at any given time may be limited to N assets. A FIFOarrangement may be used to eliminate assets from the list when the totalnumber of assets exceeds N assets.

At step 730, the playback order of the assets in the playlist may bearranged according to one or more predetermined criteria. For example,the order of the assets may be arranged by time, title, alphabeticalorder, first air date, categories (e.g., themes), or any other suitablecriteria. The program guide may automatically arrange the order of theassets in the playlist or the user may instruct the program guide whichcriteria should be used to arrange the playlist. Alternatively, the usermay manually move one or more assets to different locations within theplaylist. Several examples of rules for arranging assets in a playlistand manually rearranging assets may be found, for example, in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/324,193, filed Dec. 29, 2005, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togenerate a playlist of series VOD assets in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention. Reference is made to FIGS. 9-11during the discussion of FIG. 8. At step 810, a user is allowed toselect a VOD asset belonging to a series. This is illustrated in FIG. 9,where a highlight region 910 is navigated to a particular VOD asset.Upon selection of the asset (e.g., by pressing an OK button orequivalent), a screen shot such as that shown in FIG. 10 may be providedto the user. In FIG. 10, the user may navigate highlight region 1010 to“YES” to create a playlist for the selected series. When “YES” isselected, a series playlist for the series of the selected VOD asset maybe created, as indicated in step 820 of FIG. 5. If desired, a VOD seriesplaylist options screen, such as that shown in FIG. 11, may be providedwhen the user selects “YES.” The VOD series playlist options screen mayenable the user to specify several options with respect to the playlist.For example, the user may specify how many assets may be kept in theplaylist, whether to keep the asset in the playlist after it issubsequently viewed (or if it has been previously viewed by the user),and whether to provide a message to the user when a new asset has beenadded to the playlist. It is understood that other options may beincluded the VOD series playlist options screen.

At step 830, the program guide may automatically include available VODassets of the series into the series playlist. For example, referring toFIG. 11, all of the assets for the VOD series may be included in theplaylist, or just a subset. It is understood that depending on variousVOD playlist options settings, those VOD assets which have already beenviewed by the user may not be included in the playlist. That is, theprogram guide may maintain a viewer profile for a user and may monitorwhich assets have been viewed prior to the asset being included into aplaylist.

At step 840, the program guide may dynamically update the seriesplaylist. By dynamically updating the series playlist, the program guidemay take into account rearrangements of the assets, removal of assets nolonger available on the server or which have been viewed, and additionof assets that become available on the server in connection with the VODseries playlist.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken inconnection with a series playlist in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention. At step 1210, a series playlist for a selectedseries asset is provided. A series playlist may be provided, forexample, when a user selects an asset of a series or a series in a menu(e.g., a VOD menu or a grid showing channels and time) and is providedwith an option to create a playlist for the series.

The user may be provided with an opportunity to customize options withrespect to the series playlists (this step is not shown). For example,the user may set a limit as to the number of assets that may be includedin the playlist, determine whether only recorded assets, onlyserver-stored assets, or all types of assets (e.g., locally and remotelyrecorded assets, or server-stored assets) are included in the playlist,set parameters that dictate the order in which assets are arranged inthe playlist, set parameters that dictate how the playlist is updated(e.g., how assets are added or removed), and any other suitable options.

At step 1220, assets are selected for inclusion in the series playlistsubstantially immediately after the playlist is created. The programguide may search, for example, the locally and remotely recorded assetsand assets stored on a server and include the assets that belong to theseries. It is understood that the program guide may, for example, limitthe search to just a particular type of asset (e.g., recorded assets),thereby limiting the inclusion of assets to that particular type ofasset (e.g., recorded assets). When the assets are included in theplaylist, the program guide may arrange the order of the assets topredetermined criteria. See, for example, U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/324,193, filed Dec. 29, 2005 for an example of how assets may bearranged.

At step 1230, the series playlist is updated to reflect changes (e.g.,the addition, removal, and/or arrangement of assets) in the playlist. Inaddition, the program guide may update, for example, the position of avisual indicator to show the current playback position within theplaylist. For example, if the playback position is in an asset that isremoved, the program guide may automatically advance the playbackposition (and the visual indicator) to the start of the next asset inthe playlist.

In another embodiment, playlists may be created to include the most Nrecent assets for a particular series. Such playlists need not belimited to recorded assets, but can include other assets which can beretrieved and played such as VOD assets. This playlist may store the Nmost recent assets using a FIFO control to decide which assets areremoved when new assets need to be added. Assume the user has aninterest in Modern Marvels on the History Channel and creates a ModernMarvels Playlist. The program guide may maintain a list of the ten mostrecent Modern Marvels episodes the user can playback when desired.

In yet another embodiment, pre-defined playlist may be stored on userequipment or accessed via a client-server arrangement. Such playlistsmay be suitable for use with third party vendors who wish to pushcontent (e.g., advertise products, services, or television programmingsuch as movies and pay-per-view events) to viewers. For example, a thirdparty may provide a playlist of movie trailers. Thus, when a userdesires to see which movies are available, for example, viapay-per-view, he or she may access the movie trailer playlist andplayback the assets contained therein. The program guide may allow theuser to order a movie while the assets are being played back.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to groupassets of a playlist in clusters based on one or more selected assetclustering parameters in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. Reference is made to FIGS. 14A and 14B during the discussionof FIG. 13. As defined herein, grouping of assets refers to arearrangement of assets of a playlist or other list of assets. Therearrangement may result in a playlist having the same number of assetsas originally included in the playlist or a reduced number of assets. Acluster, as defined herein, refers to at least one asset of a playlistor other list of assets associated with one or more parameters that setsit apart from other assets in the playlist.

Beginning at step 1310, a playlist is displayed in which the assets arearranged in a predetermined order (e.g., reverse air order). The assetsmay be arranged, for example, in order of air date, reverse air date, orrecorded date, or any other suitable arrangement. An illustrativeplaylist 1410 arranged according to a predetermined order (e.g., byrecorded date) is shown in FIG. 14A.

At step 1320, several interactive asset grouping nodes are displayed.These interactive nodes include parameters that may be selected by theuser to form the basis for clustering the playlist. The parameters thatmay be selected in the node may be derived from characteristicsassociated with the assets in the playlist. For example, in televisionprogramming assets, the actors, directors, producers, set locations,genres, show topics, and other suitable factors associated with theassets may be used as parameters. When assets of several different showsare included in the playlist, the show itself may be a parameter. Otherparameters may include air date, season (if an asset belongs to aseries), or expiration date (for VOD assets).

The interactive nodes may have a hierarchal arrangement that enables auser to specify how he or she would like to cluster the assets of theplaylist. In FIG. 14A, three interactive nodes 1420, 1422, and 1425 areshown, though it is appreciated that any number of nodes may be used.Interactive node 1420 may include a primary or “coarse tuning” parameterand nodes 1422 and 1425 may include secondary or “fine tuning”parameters, as indicated by cluster hierarchal indicators 1430, 1432,and 1434. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the parameterof the interactive nodes need not be hierarchal and that the parametersset in each node may be equal. For example, if a user wishes to make allnodes equal in FIG. 14A, the user may navigate from highlighted region1424 to indicators 1432 and 1434 and change them to be primaryparameters.

At step 1330, a user is allowed to select an asset clustering parameterfor each node. In FIG. 14A, “Actor A” is selected for node 1420 and“Show X” is selected for node 1422. A highlight region 1424 is shownhighlighting node 1425, which displays “Show Y” and Show Z″ as optionalselections for that node. Node 1425 shows a drop down menu to illustrateone possible way in which a user can select different parameters for agiven node. The user may navigate highlight region to either “Show Y” or“Show Z” and select the desired parameter by, for example, pressing abutton on an input device (e.g., OK).

At step 1340, the assets are grouped into clusters based on at least oneselected asset clustering parameter. When the assets are grouped inclusters, the assets within each cluster may be arranged to thepredetermined order in which the assets were arranged in the originalplaylist. Alternatively, the user may be allowed to specify an order(not shown). In FIG. 14A, a user may navigate highlight region 1424 tothe “Group Now” element 1440 and select it to cause the program guide togroup the assets in one or more clusters based on the parametersselected at nodes 1420, 1422, or 1424. When the program guide groups theassets of playlist 1410 (FIG. 14A), it uses “Actor A” as the primarysorting criteria, meaning that only assets associated with “Actor A” areincluded in the grouped playlist. In addition, of the assets associatedwith “Actor A,” those assets are clustered according to the secondaryparameters, “Show X” and Show Y.” FIG. 14B shows a playlist 1415 thatmay be provided when the assets of playlist 1410 (of FIG. 14A) areclustered according to the selected parameters, which may be shownsimultaneously with playlist 1415. Each asset in playlist 1415 isassociated with “Actor A” and those assets are clustered by shows X andY. Note that the assets for show X are arranged in the order as theyappeared in playlist 1410 (i.e., Show X #5 is listed before Show X # 7),thereby adhering to the predetermined order of the assets prior to beinggrouped.

If desired, a user may adjust the parameters in nodes 1420, 1422, and1425 and select item 1440 to regroup the assets of the original list(i.e., playlist 1410) to obtain a new playlist. In addition, the usermay navigate a highlight region to item 1450 to begin playback of theassets in playlist 1410 or 1415.

FIG. 15 is another flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken togroup assets in clusters based on one or more selected asset clusteringparameters in accordance with the principles of the present invention.In this embodiment, a parameter such as “genre” may be used to groupassets and an identifier may be displayed adjacent to the playlist toshow a basis for the clustering of assets in the playlist. Identifiersmay be textual, or graphical in nature (e.g., iconic, thumbnail,animated gif-like, or actual video or video loop). Reference is made toFIGS. 16 and 17 during the discussion of FIG. 15. Beginning at step1510, a playlist is provided in which assets are arranged in apredetermined order. FIGS. 16 and 17 show playlist 1610 and 1710,respectively in which assets are arranged in a predetermined order. Atstep 1520, the assets are grouped in clusters based on at least oneparameter. Those grouped assets are displayed at step 1530. FIGS. 16 and17 shows playlist 1620 and 1720, respectively, where assets have beenclustered.

Note that FIG. 16 shows each asset of the playlist is placed in only onecluster. There is no requirement that this always be the case. In fact,there may be situations when an asset does not meet the criteria for anygiven cluster and thus may not be included in a cluster, or it may beincluded in a cluster labeled “other” or reserved logically for “other”assets. In addition, there may be situations when an asset meets thecriteria for two or more clusters, resulting in that asset beingincluded in each cluster for which it meets the criteria. This is shown,for example, in FIG. 17, where Star Trek TNG episode 4 is included inthe Romance and Battle clusters. In FIG. 17, the assets have beengrouped according to two parameters, “genre” being the primary and “keyactor” being the secondary.

At step 1540, at least one identifier is displayed with respect to eachcluster. This identifier may indicate the basis for forming the cluster,thus informing the user of a feature common to each asset in thatcluster. Different approaches may be taken in displaying identifiers.For example, in one approach, a “single level” of identifiers may bedisplayed, as illustrated in FIG. 16. In FIG. 16, one identifier (e.g.,an actor name) is displayed adjacent to each cluster. By way of example,in cluster 1622, StarTrek TNG #20 and StarTrek DS9 #3 episodes bothfeature actor, Michael Dorn.

In another approach, “multiple levels” of identifiers may be displayed,as illustrated in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, cluster 1722 has two levels ofidentifiers, where a primary level identifier (e.g., romance) isassociated with each asset in the top level cluster and two secondarylevel identifiers (the Picard and Troy identifiers) are each associatedwith a subset of the assets in the top-level cluster. By way of example,StarTrek TNG episodes 4, 6, and 7 are episodes featuring Picard in aromance plot. As another example, StarTrek DS9 episode #22 featuresCardassians in an episode featuring a battle related genre.

Person skilled in the art will appreciate that steps shown in FIG. 15are merely illustrative and that existing steps may be modified,additional steps may be added, and steps may be omitted. For example, astep may be added to illustrate that a user may select at least oneparameter which may form a basis for grouping the assets in clusters. Asanother example, a user may navigate a highlight region to a displayedidentifier and select that identifier to begin playback of the assetsassociated with that identifier. In FIG. 16, for example, a user maynavigate a highlight region (not shown) to the “Whoopi Goldberg”identifier cause the interactive television program guide to beingplayback of the assets in the cluster associated with that identifier.In FIG. 17, for example, a user may navigate a highlight region (notshown) to the “battle” identifier to playback all the assets associatedwith the “battle” identifier, or the user may select the “borg”identifier to playback only the subset of assets in the “battle” clusterassociated with the “borg” identifier, or optionally, those assetsassociated with the Borg identifier across all or a subset of clusters.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating steps that may be taken to groupassets in clusters based on asset clustering parameters automaticallydetermined by an interactive media guidance application in accordancewith the principles of the present invention. At step 1810, a playlistis provided in which assets are arranged in a predetermined order. Atstep 1820, the interactive media guidance application may automaticallydetermine asset grouping parameters. The guidance application maydetermine asset grouping parameters in any of number suitable differentways. For example, the guidance application may select parameters basedon a user or device profile. As another example, the guidanceapplication may randomly select one or more asset grouping parametersavailable from a pool of asset grouping parameters correlating to assetsin the playlist. As another example, the guidance application maysuggest asset grouping parameters for user or automatic selection basedon a frequency of occurrence or variability analysis of candidateparameters associated with the listed assets. For example, in oneembodiment, an algorithm may be tuned to attempt to always divide a listinto a specific number (e.g., 4) of clusters that is aesthetically orergonomically appropriate for a particular system. In a first part ofthe algorithm, candidate parameters are considered based on thevariability of the associated asset attribute class within the assets.For example, a parameter representative of the attribute class “genre”may be considered. Upon analysis of the assets, it may be determinedthat there are only three different types of “genre” found with theassets (e.g., “drama,” “family,” and “action”). However, anotherattribute class associated with asset attributes of the group of assetsmight be “Guest stars” and within this class, there may be fourdifferent types (e.g., “William Shatner,” “George Bush,” “Madonna,” and“Sting”). In this case, based on the variability criteria alone, thealgorithm may decide that “Guest stars” is a better parameter forgrouping assets than is “Genre.” In one embodiment, however, a relativebalance to the sizes of the clusters may be another consideration forthe automatic parameter determining algorithm. So, for example, if the“Guest Star” parameter would result in 99% of the assets grouped intothe “Madonna” cluster, while the “Genre” parameter would result in theassets being fairly evenly distributed among the 3 clusters, the “Genre”parameter might be the preferred parameter in this embodiment eventhough it didn't meet the desired 4 cluster goal. Some example groupingparameters include show producer, length of programs, resolution ofprograms (e.g., HD/SD), compression technology employed in the programs(e.g., MPEG-2, MPEG-4 part 10 (AVC), and H.263), audio quality (e.g.,Dolby pro-logic or Dolby digital 5.1) rating (e.g., TV-14, TV-MA, PG-13,and R), producer, asset type (e.g., VOD-based, linear, streaming, andDVR-based assets as well as video and audio assets). In mixed asset typeplaylist applications, “asset type” may be a parameter of particularinterest for clustering assets. However, other parameters may also beused. For example, consider a list of assets that includes movie assets,television series assets, and “top 40 hits” audio assets. A groupingparameter reflecting the asset attribute of “top 3 artists/actors” maybe used as a clustering parameter. In this example, “Jessica Simpson”may appear in movies, television series programs, and songs, and thus acluster labeled “Jessica Simpson” may be formed with assets of all threetypes. “Beyonce” may be another artist that spans both music and videoand depending on how often she shows up in the assets in the group, shemay be selected as one of the “top 3 artists/actors,” and be the basisfor another cluster. Finally, “Madonna” may be selected as the third ofthe “top 3” and be the identifier used for the third cluster, resultingin a clustering distinct from the asset type.

At step 1830, the assets may be grouped in clusters based on thedetermined asset grouping parameters. At step 1840, the grouped assetsmay be displayed. Person skilled in the art will appreciate that stepsshown in FIG. 18 are merely illustrative and that existing steps may bemodified, additional steps may be added, and steps may be omitted. Forexample, a step may be added to illustrate that at least one parameterwhich may form a basis for grouping the assets in clusters may bedisplayed.

It is understood that although the assets referred to in connection withthe clustering embodiments discussed above primarily refer to televisionoriented programming such as recorded programming, the assets are notlimited as such. Assets of other media types may be used. For example,linear assets, which may refer to assets available in broadcastprogramming, whether past, current, and/or future programming, may beused in connection with clustering embodiments according to theprinciples of the invention. If desired, bookmark assets, which may keeptrack of the playback position of a given asset (e.g., VOD or seriesrecorded asset) may be used in connection with clustering embodimentsaccording to the invention. Furthermore, audio assets may also be usedin connection with clustering embodiment according to the invention. Itwill be further understood that a combination of assets (e.g., seriesrecorded assets and VOD assets) may be clustered in accordance with theprinciples of the invention.

In some embodiments, user interactions with a guidance application (asdescribed in various embodiments of the present invention) may beperformed remotely from the target device upon which the playlists areultimately executed. For example, the user interactions described (e.g.,playlists creation and manipulation) may be performed via an Internetbrowser (e.g., Internet Explorer (IE) version 6.0, or Firefox) runningon a laptop in a first location (e.g., Phoenix, Ariz.) and a playlistresulting from the user interactions may be executed on a device (e.g.,digital video recorder such as a Motorola 6412) located in a secondlocation (e.g., Radnor, Pa.) that is remote from the first location.

Playback of assets in a playlist or playback of a playlist, as definedherein, refers to seamlessly playing one asset after another in theorder such assets exist in the playlist. That is, a playlist is aconstruct comprising assets and an implied order, wherein, onceinitiated, the assets in the playlist may be played back continuously,one after another, in the implied order without the need for interactionwith a user. The above described embodiments of the present inventionare presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation, andthe present invention is limited only by the claims which follow.

1-26. (canceled)
 27. A method for using an interactive media guidanceapplication, comprising: generating a playlist associated with aselected asset; automatically including other related available assetsinto the playlist substantially at the time of the generation of theplaylist; arranging the assets in the playlist according to apredetermined order; and dynamically updating the playlist as a functionof changes associated with the assets in the playlist.
 28. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the selected asset is a recorded asset that is part ofa series and the other related available assets are assets that belongto the same series as the selected asset.
 29. The method of claim 27,wherein including other related available assets into the playlistcomprises including assets that are related by a specified set ofcriteria.
 30. The method of claim 27, further comprising: displayingprogram guide information, the program guide information including theselected asset; receiving a user selection of the selected asset; anddetermining whether the selected asset belongs to a series, wherein,generating a playlist comprises generating a series playlist when aplaylist associated with the series does not already exist.
 31. Themethod of claim 27 further comprising: enabling a user to designate atleast one series playlist option for the playlist.
 32. The method ofclaim 31, wherein the including is based on the at least one designatedseries playlist option.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the updatingis based on the at least one designated series playlist option.
 34. Themethod of claim 27, wherein the playlist includes assets only for aseries associated with the selected asset.
 35. The method of claim 28,wherein the playlist includes assets of at least one particular type,the method further comprising: determining assets of the at least oneparticular type that are available and correlating those determinedassets to the series; and including the available assets having the atleast one particular type in the playlist.
 36. The method of claim 35,wherein the at least one particular type is selected from the groupconsisting of locally recorded assets, remotely recorded assets, serverstored assets, or a combination thereof.
 37. The method of claim 27,wherein the updating comprises: rearranging the order of assets in theplaylist.
 38. The method of claim 27, wherein the updating comprises:adding a new series asset to the playlist when the new series assetbecomes available.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the new seriesasset is added to the playlist when the new series asset is recorded.40. The method of claim 38, wherein the new series asset is added to theplaylist when the new series asset is made available on a server. 41.The method of claim 27, wherein the updating comprises: changing arepresentation of an asset within the playlist when that asset'saccessibility changes state.
 42. The method of claim 41, whereinchanging a representation of an asset within the playlist comprisesremoving the asset from the playlist while maintaining an integrity of arest of the playlist.
 43. The method of claim 41, wherein changing arepresentation of an asset within the playlist comprises changing acharacteristic of a visual representation of the asset within theplaylist and changing some aspect of a functionality of the asset'srepresentation.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein changing some aspectof a functionality of the asset's representation comprises skippingplayback of the asset during execution of the playlist.
 45. The methodof claim 27, wherein the updating comprises: removing an asset from theplaylist when that asset has been deleted.
 46. The method of claim 27,wherein the updating comprises: removing an asset from the playlist whenthat asset is no longer accessible.
 47. The method of claim 27, whereinthe updating comprises: preventing playback of an asset from theplaylist when that asset is not authorized for viewing according to adigital rights management system.
 48. The method of claim 27, whereinthe updating comprises: removing an asset from the playlist when thatasset has been viewed.
 49. The method of claim 27, further comprisingproviding a remote user interface to allow a user to at least select theselected asset.
 50. A system for using an interactive media guidanceapplication, the system comprising user equipment operative to: generatea playlist associated with a selected asset; automatically include otherrelated available assets into the playlist substantially at the time ofthe generation of the playlist; arrange the assets in the playlistaccording to a predetermined order; and dynamically update the playlistas a function of changes associated with the assets in the playlist. 51.The system of claim 50, wherein the selected asset is a recorded assetthat is part of a series and the other related available assets areassets that belong to the same series as the selected asset.
 52. Thesystem of claim 50, wherein the user equipment is operative to includethe other related available assets into the playlist that are related bya specified set of criteria.
 53. The system of claim 50, the userequipment further operative to: display program guide information, theprogram guide information including the selected asset; receive a userselection of the selected asset; determine whether the selected assetbelongs to a series; and generate a series playlist when a playlistassociated with the series does not already exist.
 54. The system ofclaim 50, the user equipment further operative to: enable a user todesignate at least one series playlist option for the playlist.
 55. Thesystem of claim 54, wherein the user equipment is operative to includethe other related available assets into the playlist based on the atleast one designated series playlist option.
 56. The system of claim 54,wherein the user equipment is operative to update the playlist based onthe at least one designated series playlist option.
 57. The system ofclaim 50, wherein the playlist includes assets only for a seriesassociated with the selected asset.
 58. The system of claim 51, whereinthe playlist includes assets of at least one particular type, the userequipment further operative to: determine assets of the at least oneparticular type that are available and correlating those determinedassets to the series; and include the available assets having the atleast one particular type in the playlist.
 59. The system of claim 58,wherein the at least one particular type is selected from the groupconsisting of locally recorded assets, remotely recorded assets, serverstored assets, or a combination thereof.
 60. The system of claim 50,wherein the user equipment is operative to: rearrange the order ofassets in the playlist.
 61. The system of claim 50, wherein the userequipment is operative to: add a new series asset to the playlist whenthe new series asset becomes available.
 62. The system of claim 61,wherein the new series asset is added to the playlist when the newseries asset is recorded.
 63. The system of claim 61, wherein the newseries asset is added to the playlist when the new series asset is madeavailable on a server.
 64. The system of claim 50, wherein the userequipment is operative to: change the representation of an asset withinthe playlist when that asset's accessibility changes state.
 65. Thesystem of claim 64, wherein the user equipment is operative to change arepresentation of an asset within the playlist by removing the assetfrom the playlist while maintaining an integrity of a rest of theplaylist.
 66. The system of claim 64, wherein the user equipment isoperative to change a representation of an asset within the playlist bychanging a characteristic of a visual representation of the asset withinthe playlist and changing some aspect of a functionality of the asset'srepresentation.
 67. The system of claim 66, wherein the user equipmentis operative to change some aspect of a functionality of the asset'srepresentation by skipping playback of the asset during execution of theplaylist.
 68. The system of claim 50, wherein the user equipment isoperative to: remove an asset from the playlist when that asset has beendeleted.
 69. The system of claim 50, wherein the user equipment isoperative to: remove an asset from the playlist when that asset is nolonger accessible.
 70. The system of claim 50, wherein the userequipment is operative to: prevent playback of an asset from theplaylist when that asset is not authorized for viewing according to adigital rights management system.
 71. The system of claim 50, whereinthe user equipment is operative to: remove an asset from the playlistwhen that asset has been viewed.
 72. The system of claim 50, furthercomprising a remote user interface, the remote user interface allowing auser to at least select the selected asset.